Add a welcoming touch to your outdoor areas with container gardening.
Written and Photographed by SARA JANE VON TRAPP
MANY SAVANNAH HOMES feature handsome covered porches. A porch swing and rocking chairs set the scene, but planters add polish and grace, creating an inviting, Southern summer atmosphere. Container gardening requires some creativity, but don’t be afraid to tackle this project — the key is to prep with plants that are right for the conditions they will experience on the porch, whether it’s open to the elements or screened-in.
SUN VS. SHADE: Combining plants that need different light can be a recipe for disaster. When you sit on your porch at various times of the day, pay attention to the sun and shade patterns. A shady porch requires different plants from one that receives full sun or partial sun exposure.
CONTAINER KNOW-HOW: The container you choose dictates how many plants you need. A wide mouthed container is best. Make sure it is tall enough to support the roots of several plants. Ceramic, clay, and plastic pots are all fine, but they have different watering requirements because glazed ceramics and plastic don’t dry out as quickly as clay. The pots should have at least one hole in the bottom to let excess water drain out. A few pottery shards, small rocks, or even shells should be placed over the hole(s) leaving cracks for the water to leave, while keeping the soil from escaping.
SOIL TIPS: Use bagged soil labeled for containers to ensure you are not introducing insects and diseases, and pack it lightly in the pots. Leave enough space at the top to fit the plants plus a few inches above that for water. The soil will settle over time, so overfill a bit. Remove the plants from their nursery pots, place them into your container, and cover the roots with soil. Don’t hesitate to pack the soil around the plants, filling gaps to remove air pockets. Never reuse last year’s soil because many of the nutrients in bagged soil are used up during the growing season, causing plants to suffer from malnutrition.
DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS: Choose plants with different growing habits to add variety to your arrangement. Low-trailing plants work well around the edges, cascading down the pot. Taller, bushy plants fill the second level, and upright plants should be placed in the center. Select the height of the center plants in proportion to the height of the container. A 24-inch-tall container, for example, looks best with center plants that are two and a half to three feet high. Perennials and annuals, including tropicals, are adaptable to containers, but they will need to be covered when the temperatures are close to freezing during the winter months.
THINK TEXTURE: Color is important when choosing plants, but mixing textures is also key. Plants with round, daisy-like flowers contrast well with those with spiky blossoms. The straight, stiff leaves of the snake plant benefit from the softening of grass-like plants such as carex and liriope. Asparagus fern adds an airy quality to the middle tier with short, needle-like leaves. And combining flowering plants with the colored leaves of coleus or caladium is a real attention getter.
WATERING ESSENTIALS: Keep containers watered, but don’t overwater. Check for dryness by inserting your fingers at least an inch into the soil. If dry, keep the water flowing until it leaks out through the bottom hole. Do not depend on rainfall, especially on a covered porch. “Pot feet” or saucers create a space beneath containers to protect the porch floor.
Plant Suggestions
Cascading plants for the edge of the container
Sun/partial sun: Creeping Jenny, creeping phlox, flowering kale, Superbells calibrachoa, rainbow chard, trailing verbena
Shade/partial shade: English and variegated ivy, sweet potato vine, trailing pothos, trailing lobelia
Plants For The Second Tier
Sun/partial sun: asparagus fern, carex ‘Bowles’, lantana, lavender, Portulaca, rosemary, SunPatiens
Shade/partial shade: Aucuba ‘Gold Dust’, begonia, Coleus, Heuchera (coral bells), Hosta, Hypoestes (polka dot plant), impatiens, Liriope, Torenia (wishbone flower)
Upright plants for the center
Sun/partial sun: Agave, bird of paradise, canna lily, Cordyline (ti plant), Dracaena, elephant’s ear, mangave, Sansevieria (snake plant), Yucca
Shade/partial shade: Alocasia, black bamboo (Phyllostachys nigra), Bromeliad, Caladium, Dieffenbachia, Dracaena, dwarf papyrus
